Vanishing Grace
by wendythemoustache
Summary: She wouldn't be there, not physically, but she really would. She would be in Arthur, she would be in the wire inside his veins, she would be in the dreams, she would be everywhere. But Eames knew he couldn't run away forever. So half-an-hour later, he went down the stairs and followed Dom to Paris. (Eames/OC)


well hello and welcome!

this is my new fanfiction, from the movie inception. it's an eames/oc.  
i don't know if there's still people out there that read inception fanfictions, but well.

i hope you will enjoy it. please send reviews.

marianne xx

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_The streets were ridiculously crowded. The heavy, hot air smelled like fruits and coffee. There was always too much noise. Too many people talking and yelling. There was always too much of everything. But Eames liked it. Mombassa felt right. Mombassa was chaotic and exotic and different from everything he had known. It just felt right. Seeing Dom here was not right. The man was being chased by Cobol Engineering and the company was settled right in Mombassa. But Eames knew Dom good enough to guess he had a good reason for being there. So he followed him, and they sat on the small balcony, where he could observe the busy streets of the late afternoon. _

"_Inception." Eames stared back at Dom, trying to find the slightest hint of amusement in his face. He didn't find any. "Now before you bother telling me it's impossible –" Eames wanted to laugh. "No – it's perfectly possible, it's just bloody difficult." Eating another peanut, he looked back at Dom, who raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. 'Cause Arthur keeps telling me it can't be done." This time, Eames didn't hold back a snicker. "Hum, Arthur." He recalled the man's face in his head and grinned in amusement. "You're still working with that stick-in-the-mud ?" Dom lowered his gaze. "He's good at what he does, right ?" Eames had to give him that. "Oh, he's the best. But he has no imagination." Dom drank a sip of his beer. "Not like you." _

"_Listen, if you're going to perform inception, you need imagination." Eames could only guess where Dom was going with this small talk : a job. He hadn't been doing anything exciting for a few months – the idea of a challenge such as inception nearly made him feel butterflies in his stomach. He felt like a boy again. Not many things made him feel like this. "Can I ask you something ?" Dom asked, frowning slightly. "Have you done it before ?" Eames held back a sigh, recalling everything that had happened, that day in the Bahamas. He remembered the way she had looked at him. He chased the thought away, focusing on Dom. "We tried it" he answered simply. "We got the idea in place, but it didn't take." Eames swallowed the lie back in his throat. It had held. For a few hours. But the memory was too bitter. Dom didn't need to know everything. "You didn't plant it deep enough ?" Eames frowned. "It's not just about depth…" He thought for a moment. "You need the simplest version of the idea in order for it to grow naturally in the subject's mind. It's a very subtle art." Dom didn't answer, and as he took another sip of his beer, Eames tried to chase away the memories that were coming back at him. It was like a sting. A very painful one. _

"_So what is this idea that you need to plant ?" Eames tried to feign indifference, but he knew Dom would see right through it. The two men had worked together often enough for them to know each other. Dom knew how Eames loved a challenge. How he loved what he did. He knew he had already silently accepted to be a part of it. "We need the heir of a giant corporation to dissolve his father's empire." Eames nodded. "You see, right there you have various political motivations, anti-monopolistic sentiment and so forth. But all that stuff – it's, hum… it's really at the mercy of the subject's prejudice – what you have to do is start at the absolute basic." "Which is ?" Eames had a little smile. "The relationship with the father." They grew silent for a little while. Then Eames couldn't hold back the question._

"_Do you have a Chemist ?" Then he could see it all in Dom's eyes. Dom knew perfectly well he wasn't really asking if they had a Chemist. He was asking if she was still part of the team. He was asking if, when he would walk in the workshop, he would see her again. Dom knew all of that – but he didn't mention it. Eames was thankful for that. "No, Ana's gone." Then a thousand questions seemed to burn Eames' tongue. Where was she ? Why was she gone ? What happened ? But he simply smirked, and acted like Dom hadn't mentioned her. "Alright – well there's a man here, Yusuf – he formulates his own version of the compounds." "Why don't you take me there ?" Eames ate another peanut, observing the inside of the building. "Once you've lost your tail. The man at the bar." Dom's voice seemed to drop. "Cobol Engineering. That price on my head – was that dead or alive ?" Eames chuckled. "Don't remember. See if he starts shooting." He shot a look at Dom, who clearly looked much more annoyed than nervous. "Run interference. I'll meet you downstairs in the bar in say - half-an-hour." Eames frowned slightly. "Back here ?" "It's the last place they'd suspect." He had to chuckle. Dom was always very clever, much more clever than him. "Alright."_

_Eames stood up, taking his beer in his hands, walking inside the bar towards the man that was following Dom. He grinned as wide as he could, widening his arms. "Freddie ! Freddie Simons ! Oh my god, it's you, isn't it ?" But the man was staring behind his back, his eyes wide, and suddenly jerked forward and ran away. Eames smirked. "No it isn't you."_

_He went to sit back on the balcony, quietly sipping his beer as he watched Dom run like hell, away from the men from Cobol Engineering. These guys were tough – Eames had gotten into trouble with them before, but even if the matter had been settled a lot time ago, he couldn't forget the endless pursuits and threatening that had taken place. When Dom got out of view, Eames let his eyes gaze around the buildings. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Not too hot, as it usually was. He took a sip of his beer, and let himself think about Ana. Just for a little while. She wouldn't be part of the job. 'She's gone', Dom had said. She had ran away, just like he did. He wondered if she ever gave any news to her brother. Probably, Eames thought. Arthur and Ana were like twins – inseparable. Well, until everything happened. Until everything went to shit. Eames still felt the sting of the pain in his body. He still felt the anger in his blood. The sadness. The disappointment. The despair. He had felt lost for so long. Was it a good idea to go back in this team ? She wouldn't be there, not physically, but she really would. She would be in Arthur, she would be in the wire inside his veins, she would be in the dreams, she would be everywhere. But Eames knew he couldn't run away forever. So half-an-hour later, he went down the stairs and followed Dom to Paris. _


End file.
